Care in the Chaos: A Filmmaker's Creative Journey (Sarah Gavron)

"Where are these girls on our screens?" With this question, acclaimed director Sarah Gavron embarked on creating "Rocks," a film that would transform both its young cast and conventional filmmaking approaches. In this intimate conversation, Gavron reveals how authentic storytelling demands radical vulnerability from both creator and subject.Rather than imposing narratives on teenage girls, Gavron spent months in London schools creating safe spaces for young women to share their realities through improvisation and play. The production dismantled traditional power structures—shooting chronologically, never calling "action," using continuous dual cameras, and incorporating the actors' own mobile footage. Beyond creating an award-winning film, this process sparked "Bridge," an ongoing mentorship program connecting marginalized youth with creative industry opportunities.Gavron eloquently explores the complex relationship between caregiving and creativity throughout her career. While acknowledging that parenting responsibilities reduced her film output, she notes how these experiences profoundly deepened her work: "I would never have made 'Rocks' if I hadn't had a girl growing up at home." This perspective extends to her current book project (with Sophie Herxheimer) exploring her father-in-law's imprisonment at Theresienstadt, the Nazi concentration camp where imprisoned artists continued creating under unimaginable circumstances—some documenting truth through secret drawings that eventually cost them their lives.Whether discussing Ukrainian musicians playing in bomb shelters or her mother dancing to Elvis despite illness, Gavron reminds us that art doesn't merely distract from suffering—it helps us process, ground ourselves, and create meaning within chaos.